Bye kids, hello job hunting

Women wanting a parent-friendly career are struggling to find the hours and wages they desire. Photo / Supplied

At this time of year, when children go back to school, many mothers start thinking about resuming or kick-starting their careers as their days free up.

Those who have skills and are returning to a previous career - lawyers, accountants, management consultants, HR executives, teachers - can expect their salary to remain at the level it was before, as long as they've kept up their qualifications.

But for mothers who have been out of the workforce for a few years, and who do not want to return to their former occupations because they believe they are not mother-friendly, it is another story.

In a tough job market, they will be lucky to find the job they want, at the hours and pay they desire.

Claire, a former travel agent and mother of two boys, did not want to return to the industry because it had changed so much and involved too much travel. She now works in a gourmet food business three days a week doing mainly assembly work, and is paid $17 an hour.

But she is not content. She feels she is getting a raw deal on just $17 an hour. The minimum wage of $12.75 an hour doesn't feel like it's that far away from her income.

A university student recently came in to do some website work and she was also earning $17 an hour, yet Claire has a 25-year career behind her.

"I've lost touch with what women are earning. None of us belong to a union," she says disconsolately.

Claire has been offered temporary work in her old industry with better money, but it would involve very early starts and she feels it would be too hard on the family.

On bad days she feels like chucking it in but she does enjoy her job. She likes to contribute new ideas but they are not well received.

"You are treated as if you are acting above your station," she says.

She knows others envy her her job. If she complains to girlfriends, they say they'll do it if she doesn't want it. "I do feel lucky to have it," says Claire.

Some friends are on worse pay. Susannah is starting a 15-hour-a-week position in education this school term.

"I've got no qualifications behind me other than I'm a parent," she says.

Although she won't be paid much - she estimates around $15 an hour - the former sales rep, who says her industry is no longer in existence, says having the school holidays free was more important than her hourly rate. Her husband has a demanding, high-earning job and she jokes that his raise last year was well over double what she expects to earn this year.

It's not just relatively unskilled mothers who are getting a raw deal.

Returning to work after being out of the job market for five years, Diana, an experienced financial accountant, was offered $18 an hour for a job working 9am til 2pm when she first started looking for work.

She is earning substantially more in her current job, although she is still unsure if the pay is commensurate with her skills. And she has had to pay a penalty. She is working 30 hours a week with an arrangement to leave early a couple of days. Her partner can work from home when the kids are sick.

An expert on mothers returning to work, Kate Ross, director of Kinetic Recruitment, set up return2work workshops with PR consultant Sarah Paykel a couple of years ago.

The workshops are still going strong and two career coaching and development managers have been hired in Auckland and Wellington to assist women, and others, find a career path that is right for them.

Ross says: "There are a number of very capable mums out there who are ready to get back into the workforce after a stint of raising children, but unless they are willing to compromise - a lot - it's going to be very tough."

Women are not returning to their pre-children occupations, says Ross.

They tend to stay away from sales rep roles that involve travel or being on the road. They avoid roles that are extremely demanding and might require evenings or long hours.

Women returning to the workforce on a part-time basis are usually securing between $20 and $25 an hour, she says. And for those hoping employers have become more relaxed about working from home, Ross says, think again.

"There is not currently much flexibility, with employers preferring their workers to be in the office for their set hours."

If they do manage to find a job with the hours they want, it won't necessarily be that fulfilling. "We are finding that if a part-time role does come in, it's entry level, so the hourly rate will be low and general responsibilities are pretty basic." Part-time work is rarely 9 to 2 these days either, adds Ross.

"It's going to be more like 8.30 to 3pm, but each role does vary."

But, she warns, for now, the part-time 9 to 2 roles are nearly impossible to come by. "Those women who have had children and are back at work full time have more of a chance of reducing hours," she suggests. "This is because they are proven."

As for mothers like Claire, who feel they are being taken advantage of, "they can come and see us", says the recruitment company director. "This is what we do - we offer advice, assistance and support."

Recent research about employers' attitudes towards working mothers showed that working mothers around the world will need all the support they can get in the next year. The study commissioned by Regus, the international workplace solutions provider, showed that globally, employers were less ready to employ working mothers than before.

Just 36 per cent expected to hire working mothers this year, compared with 44 per cent last year globally. New Zealand, in isolation, was a bit better - 47 per cent of firms intending to hire this year plan to hire more working mothers.

At Regus, which has serviced offices and meeting rooms in 85 countries, 80 per cent of its workforce are women, says William Willems, vice-president for Regus Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

"In a service industry their qualifications are definitely valued," he says.

Regus offers a lot of part-time options to staff. They might work just mornings or just evenings, says Willems. The flexibility makes them loyal employees.